Burton has an actual record store called Henry's Records (at the bottom end of Station Street near the railway station). The bad news is that the CDs are priced nearer £10 than £5 and they keep them behind the counter (except one that I noticed - an early DADC copy for the US of UFO's Lights Out, which would be fair to good value at £8 had it been in better condition). I rarely venture in, but it's worth visiting every so often as the owners don't have a clue what's OOP and expensive. I bought a WG target copy of CSN Allies earlier this year for £8.50. My particular version isn't listed on discogs, but there is another version that has sold for £14-£40 (there's one on there now for nearly £60). Not an easy disc to track down as it has been OOP for most of the last 30 years except for one Japan reissue. There's also a branch of That's Entertainment in Burton (owned by Music Magpie). Hit and miss what you will find, but they always appear to have a Japan for Europe copy of Michael Jackson's Bad. As does the That's Entertainment store in Derby. Nearby Ashby de la Zouch also has a record store called The Attic, but their CD selection is overpriced and dreadful. I think my first visit yielded the last remaining gems. There's a few charity shop in Ashby worth a visit. I found a Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon hybrid SACD in St. Giles here for 50p (mint condition Japan made version for the US, still with part of the barcode sticker on the case). I used to like the stores in Glasgow, but I was disappointed on my last visit. Sadly, Volcanic Tongue is no more. I've found many OOP and unusual CDs in this store, including The Pop Group's We Are All Prostitutes and Scorched Earth Policy's Keep Away From the Wires compilations (Scorched Earth Policy are an obscure New Zealand group - I think their compilation had a very small circulation). I really regret not picking up the Victor Dimisich My Name Is K compilation (another obscure New Zealand group) or the Mars (no wave group) Live CD when I saw them. Cornwall has a couple of good stores. Room 33 Records in Bodmin has a good selection, but appear to price everything according to discogs, although I did regret not buying Tangerine Dream's Poland: The Warsaw Concert on Relativity when I saw it earlier this year. Sounds OK in Falmouth is pretty good. Not the cheapest store maybe, but a good selection (no good having CDs at £2 or £3 if they are thrift store regulars or common issues). Here's a picture.
If you are in the South East of UK see below for where I have visited so far. Number of CDs purchased on my visits in brackets. Strood - only a couple of shops but one has large selection. Normally pick at least one thing up here. (2) Rochester - Nice afternoon out, several shops along the high street with average price £1. Avoid Oxfam as they price at £2 per disc - making them more expensive than HMV on budget box sets and some doubles!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (14) Chatham - as Rochester but the Oxfam is worth a visit and not expensive. Make sure you go to the end of the high street at the Argos end - two small shops here. Picked up some Tangerine Dream last time I was in Chatham. (8) Rainham - 5 shops and a quick moving selection - although small. One shop is doing 5 CDs or DVDs (or mix of ) for £1. (4) Sittingbourne - similar to Rochester but selection not as good. (2) Tonbridge - Some good shops and quality was high. Oxfam again on expensive side. (4) Canterbury - Shops are a bit spread out and over priced (0) Ashford - Selection was very poor (0) I have visited some of the above several times and my top pick is Rochester. Nice place, good selection and quick moving stock - buy it when you see it because it won't be there next week. Dover - I'm coming to you next unless someone gives you a bad rap on here!
I got a U.K. first press of Aftermath a couple of months ago. Was 1.99, stereo copy... The other day they had Some Girls with a battered looking sleeve for 4.99..!
I got Jay-Z - The Black Album, The Prodigy - Their Law and Sophie B. Hawkins - Timbre (2 disc HDCD version) for the princely sum of £2.75 from the PDSA shop yesterday.
Oops, when you posted your question, I thought you meant proper record stores carrying CDs, but now I see you mean towns with charity shops carrying good selections. Burton is ok, but it can be hit or miss. I did once buy a black face Japan pressing of Meddle (forum favourite - £1). It's my second copy, because I bought a cheap one that had inserts printed in Japan on ebay. More recently, I let slip a copy of Mahler's Symphony No. 8 featuring Tennstedt (St. Giles £3.25; not cheap, but less than what it usually sells for on ebay). The PDSA is quite good as they sell boxsets for the same price as regular CDs. Tortoise's A Lazarus Taxon cost me 25p per CD/DVD. Ashby de la Zouch has also been kind to me, but parking is a bit of a nightmare. Coalville, Leics. less so, but parking is easier. I found the charity shops in Glasgow to be near useless as they carry mostly popular titles that I either own already or don't want. Cornwall is a mix bag. I did find a copy of John Cale's Music for a New Society in St. Ives BHF for £2.99. At the time, it was OOP and Music Magpie would give you £3 for it. In the same week, I found a red face Polydor copy of Barclay James Harvest Ring of Changes for £1 at the Salvation Army stall in St. Austell market. I had to double take because I've never seen a red face Polydor disc before. Unfortnately, it has been downhill since then and tend to spend more time in real record stores. However, the urge to check out charity shops is still three just in case... St. Austell market also has a couple of stalls selling CDs. I picked up a cheap copy of Abba's Greatest Hits (the bench cover) here a couple of years back.
I got a London copy of Hot Rocks 2 from a charity shop for £1, but replaced it with a cheap original London CD sometime later. I've done a lot better thrifting on ebay than charity shops.
BHF usually charge stupid prices and rarely have anything interesting but always have a look as I have found the occasional bargain I picked up a very obscure Throbbing Gristle disc - Journey Through A Body and the My Bloody Valentine Remasters for a couple of quid each.
My local BHF originally had set prices of 99p, £1.99, and £2.99 for their CDs. The £2.99 was for highly regarded artists such as The Beatles and Fleetwood Mac. £1.99 was the next teir, and 99p was for unpopular or poorly regarded artists. So it was funny to see a beat up copy of Tango in the Night at £2.99, with Gary Numan and Depeche Mode original CDs at £1.99, and a gold classical title at 99p. They then changed it to a clearance shop, which was good (50p single CDs, £1 double CDs, etc.), before finally pricing most CDs at 99p (more for doubles/box sets). Ocassionally, a CD was priced higher if it was a well regarded artist. I think the last one I saw at a higher price was Dire Straits Alchemy. Throbbing Gristle were selling the old Mute CDs at their online store for £4 each. I picked up D.O.A., 20 Jazz Funk Greats, Mission of Dead Souls, and In the Shadow of the Sun. I think they were stock left over from Mute once the 2xCD reissues came out.
I use ebay from the rarer ones. Most common CDs I will pick up from charity shops or the That's Entertainment store. The chances of running into the following CD, for example, is close to zilch, even in Japan (it was a relatively cheap ebay lot at £10 from an UK seller - mint CD and inserts apart from a slight fading to the spine). It's pretty cool.
I wouldn't bother with Dover. A number of the charity shops have closed in the last year or so. Very depressing.
Picked up the 1999, 16-track Special New Edition of Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense for £1 at my local. Still has the £14.99 HMV stickers on.
Probably the last Charity Shop CD of 2017, was in Town with youngest Daughter and was on way to Bus Stop (why drive at Christmas) anyhoos..only had briefest of moments before catching said Bus..spotted this and remembered somebody saying in thread had Christmasy feel about it..so I grabbed it..Like it too Great Voice!! * Won't be hitting Charity Shops for couple Weeks at least.. be glad when we do though.
Bjork’s Vespertine for £1 today from my local, pleased with that. I think they’ve had a decent drop and are dribbling it out.
I'm not much of a progster but got two Rush discs (mercury swirls) and two Camel remaster discs for £1 each yesterday.
Saw a Rolling Stones Aftermath UK mono LP for £12.50, but decided it's condition did not warrant the price. Not an expert in early mono Stones LPs, so I don't know it was a genuine first pressing or not. But I picked up a couple of early Japan for Europe CBS CDs for 75p each: Meatloaf Hits Out of Hell; Simon and Garfunkel The Simon and Garfunkel Collection. Plus 3 DVDs from the local market for £2.50: Dune, Straight to Hell, and Straw Dogs. Dune and Straw Dogs were still sealed. I've never seen Straight to Hell, but I was a fan of Alex Cox's moviedrome program on BBC2 in the late 80s/early 90s.
Boot sale rather than charity shop, but 75 soundtrack CDs made getting up and heading out in the cold and dark worthwhile, 30 Babylon 5 soundtrack CDs, which I think is all of them, 4 Stargate CDs, 4 Doctor Who CDs some other sci fi titles and an assortment of more mainstream Hollywood titles, I bundled them with a load of books and some other things so not sure what they cost me each, but probably well under 50p, a great start to the year.
Picked up a couple of CDs on Friday, been bit hectic here so can't remember IF I posted about them..but I don't think I did.. Just checked Post Image and not been added to the New 2018 folder ..so I guess not.. both Michael Bolton and Simple Minds CDs cost 50p each. Was in Town again Today, but only briefly but spotted 2 Records that I wasn't leaving IF in good condition (which they were/are) and I also grabbed a Gabrielle CD which I've just given me Mum(she lost most of her CDs) SOOoo Today ended up being just the Two Records.. Last but by no means least a 12" of .. Both me and Missus said it's coming Home with us.. IF in good nick.
Didn't realize was a Photo limit per Post(learn something new everyday) both Records are Mint and cost 50p from Scope. I was 12 when this came out
Be curious to know what you think of "Straight To Hell". Rented it once and was disappointed, since "Repo Man" is one of my favorites.
